Behind Boehner’s fiscal cliff strategy

House Speaker John Boehner told House Republicans that he’s “not interested” in passing a fiscal cliff deal with “mostly Democrat votes,” his most direct comments about how he’ll manage the remaining negotiations over tax increases and spending cuts.

Boehner’s comment is significant because it means he is going to push for an agreement that most of the 241 House Republican could support. Just a week ago, rank-and-file Republicans rejected a Boehner-authored proposal that would have extended tax breaks on income of less than $1 million — a number far higher than what they would get under plans offered by President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).

Fiscal cliff: A primer

On Thursday’s conference call, which almost all House Republicans dialed in to, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) told lawmakers to “plan on being in town through the following week to conduct the business at hand,” according to a source. Sunday is Dec. 30, one day before the nation reaches the fiscal cliff.

The details of the Republican conference call were described by several sources to POLITICO.

Boehner’s message to House Republicans was the same as what he’s saying privately to other party leaders. Boehner said the nation is “on the edge of the fiscal cliff” and added that the Senate hasn’t given the House a reason to return.

“We are waiting on the Senate,” the Ohio Republican told lawmakers.

He added that the Senate needs to pass bills and then “the House will then consider whether to accept the bills as amended, or to send them back to the Senate with additional amendments. The House will take this action on whatever the Senate can pass — but the Senate must act.”

But the Ohio Republican also offered some new details to his Republican colleagues.

Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.) asked about the debt limit and what leverage that gives House Republicans. Boehner said he still sees February and March as the true deadline.

The optics of not being in Washington are still of concern to House Republicans. Members were worried about being hammered in the press for not being in Washington. The Senate is in town at least Thursday and Friday, and Obama returned from Hawaii to deal with the fiscal cliff.

Several lawmakers complimented Boehner for his work on the cliff. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) praised House leaders for their joint statement this week that the Senate hasn’t acted. He said that Reid going to the floor “name callin’ shows that he’s desperate,” sources said.

Boehner’s move on bringing the House back into session on Sunday — the first time members have been together since the speaker’s “Plan B” gamble failed last week — is an attempt to protect Republicans from getting blamed if the country goes over the fiscal cliff, which looks more likely by the hour.

“The House has acted on two bills that collectively would avert the entire fiscal cliff. We passed H.R. 8 at the beginning of August to stop all of the tax rate increases that are set to occur on Jan. 1 under current law. And we’ve passed legislation to replace the entire sequester with responsible spending cuts,” Boehner said during the call, according to a source who took part in the discussions.

There have been continued staff-level discussions on Thursday, but neither side has put any new offer on the table in order to break the deadlock.

Hey Boner, if you spent a little less time with that bottle you'd know that the Senate already passed such a bill. Here, read about it when (if you ever) get sober again.

"The Senate on Wednesday narrowly approved a plan to preserve tax cuts for the middle class while letting them expire for the wealthy, a powerful if largely symbolic victory for Democrats who have been pushing to raise taxes on the rich for more than a decade.

The measure is dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled House, where leaders are preparing to vote next week on their own plan to extend the George W. Bush-era tax cuts for households at every income level through 2013."....

It's about time they get back to work! Everyone else had to head back to their jobs on December 26. And those of us that are working are productive taxpayers, so it's only right that every single representative, no matter what their party, is back in Washington working hard to get this resolved. If they can't do their job, then they should quit!

Not a very bipartisan statement to make without actually speaking of a specific proposal. To reject a proposal in the abstract because of party loyalty shows a complete disregard for the American people as a whole, that he, as Speaker of the House has sworn to govern.

Did someone say "strategy?" Sounds more like the two sides are playing Stratego -- capture that flag or pin the opponent in a corner with no more moves. Unfortunately for the so-called Speaker, his team is the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Responsible cuts would reduce total defense spending by one-third. THEN we can talk about cutting Congressional pay, benefits, and the like. Once that's done, we can subject ALL income to FICA and tax ALL income the same, from whatever source.

How many times have we been here before? The same number of times Oblamer has been in office in December.

What is bawling Boehner's schtick each and every year? Posture and preen early. Wait until 1 or 2 days before his deadline. Burst into tears. Give Oblamer everything he wants.

The only interesting thing about this December is if the bawler can grow a backbone or will gamble away his leadership position by repeating past performances - conservatives are already trying to find a way to dump him.

My hope is that the Sequester stays since the GOP will receive much of the blame and Obama has to increase the debt ceiling via the 14th Amendment so the GOP can impeach him for saving the US Economy...Cant wait to see how that plays out...

The GOP is a dead man walking with these tactics, 2012 Election proved that...

John Boehner is committed to pleasing the extreme elements of the Republican party. He is fearful of these outliers from sanity because he believes his place in history is somehow positively impacted by their approval. Never mind that they routinely reject his pandering; he has somehow convinced himself that if he can just find the right position to please them, if he can just get them to go along with his policy stances, he will be remembered as fondly as Tip O'Neill as using the speakership to be an arbiter of reasonable discourse that leads to productive results for the American people, Certainly a desirable aspiration for sure. However, Boehner's challenge to his achievement of an historical place in American politics requires that he lead his own party. Therein lies the rub. His "constituency" is a rabble of unreasonable attention seekers who are incapable of compromise, the basic aim of the congress of the United States.

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is ther to hear it will the Republicans still be blamed for the tree falling?

It's the Republican's fault is just as old and tired as beiing called a racist when ever one disagrees with our Golfer in Chiel. Get over it. You progressive/ communist clowns have no idea how to govern except to take take and take some omore and then give it to the loser. Sad and we have had it. No more, blame us all you lke we do not care.

House Speaker John Boehner told House Republicans that he’s “not interested” in passing a fiscal cliff deal with “mostly Democrat votes,” his most direct comments about how he’ll manage the remaining negotiations over tax increases and spending cuts.

Translation; he wants to pass a budget with ZERO Democratic votes, which is just a waste of time.